


Echoes of Light

by MayQueen517



Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Anal Fingering, Cock Warming, Joe gets taken care of and told just how good he is because Nicky loves him, Joe has a signal for when he needs a break and he uses it, Joe is still struggling after London and needs to hear Nicky, Kink Negotiation, M/M, Nicky is happy to oblige, Praise Kink, Rimming, negotiated hand signals, please let me know if I need to tag for something
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-01
Updated: 2020-10-01
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:27:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26758714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MayQueen517/pseuds/MayQueen517
Summary: "Hayati, I will give you the world, but I need to hear you say it," Nicky says, sitting up so that he can pull Joe into his lap. Joe immediately wraps around him, holding him close and Nicky peppers kisses along Joe's shoulders and neck."I dreamed about London," Joe whispers hoarsely. "I wasn't fast enough. You died. Everyone died. It wasn't enough. I wasn't enough."
Relationships: Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova
Comments: 22
Kudos: 235





	Echoes of Light

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AphroditesTummyRolls](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AphroditesTummyRolls/gifts).
  * Inspired by [gonna take it easy](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25824253) by [2manyboys](https://archiveofourown.org/users/2manyboys/pseuds/2manyboys). 



> My dear aphroditestummyrolls gave me this smutty smutty prompt and I made it sad, whoops. My idea for it is that Joe and Nicky do this when one of them need that grounding and this is one of those times. I really just wanted to write about Joe getting taken care of and all the ways Nicky provides that. 
> 
> I was also inspired by the AMAZING fic 'gonna take it easy' by 2manyboys because cock warming was never something I thought I'd want to read, let alone write, and HERE WE ARE. 
> 
> Title from the song of the same name by Opal Ocean which I listened to a million times while writing this. 
> 
> The quote "My blessing isn't that I get an eternal life. My blessing is I found you" is by Greg Rucka and I've bastardized it a bit here - I'm sure you'll forgive me! ;-)

Nicky wakes up suddenly, hearing the stuttering breathing from behind him. He blinks slowly, gathering his surroundings as he pulls himself to sitting in the bed. Joe's curled tight on himself when Nicky turns the lamp on low, his face buried into the pillow as opposed to Nicky's neck.

"Joe?" Nicky whispers, hand skimming Joe's shoulder. His skin is cold and Nicky frowns when Joe tucks in on himself tighter. Nicky eases the blankets around them both, wrapping his arms around Joe to hold him to his chest. "Destati."

Joe squirms closer, eyes fluttering open slowly. His eyes are red, haunted, and a clear sign that Joe has been sleeping fitfully all night.

"Oh, cuore mio," Nicky murmurs, petting Joe's hair, pulling Joe closer. "What do you need?"

Joe buries his face in Nicky's chest, shivers wracking his frame and Nicky feels his resolve firm as he rubs his hands up and down Joe's back. He keeps touching him and murmuring to him until Joe pulls back. His face is streaked with tears that Nicky wipes at gently, following his fingers with his lips.

Head tilted up, Joe leans into Nicky, silently beseeching.

"Hayati, I will give you the world, but I need to hear you say it," Nicky says, sitting up so that he can pull Joe into his lap. Joe immediately wraps around him, holding him close and Nicky peppers kisses along Joe's shoulders and neck.

"I dreamed about London," Joe whispers hoarsely. "I wasn't fast enough. You died. Everyone died. It wasn't enough. I wasn't enough."

Nicky exhales slowly, cupping Joe's face, kissing his lips once, twice, three times before his own tears threaten. Nicky holds him close, skimming his hands along the planes of Joe's back, soothing him as he feels Joe relax slowly.

"Thank you for telling me," Nicky says, feeling Joe shudder against him. Nicky threads his fingers into Joe's hair, not pulling, simply holding as Joe slumps into it, his eyes fluttering closed.

"Is this what you would like?"

"I want you," Joe whispers as Nicky eases him down to the bed on his back, anchoring Joe closer. He gently pets the planes of his face, watching Joe's eyes flutter shut. He can see the damp lashes and Nicky leans down, kissing each eyelid.

"You have me, my love. For all of our days," Nicky as Joe heaves a shuddering breath. Nicky trails his fingertips along Joe's cheekbones and nose, tracing the shape of his lips and watching Joe's eyes fill and then recede.

"I need to hear you."

It's a plaintive request, one that Nicky has heard a few times in their long history. Joe at his breaking point, needing reassurance. Nicky leans down, pressing soft kisses to his brow and his cheeks.

"Do you want me to make the decisions today?" Nicky asks. He shifts around until he can lay on his side, tucked close to Joe. He rests his hand over Joe's heart, feeling the reassuring thud of it. Joe leans closer, looking up at him with such love that Nicky has to lean down and kiss him lightly.

"Please, hayati," Joe whispers. Nicky cups his face, thumb rubbing over his cheek, pressing another kiss to his lips.

"You are so good to tell me what you want, my love. You use your words in ways that take my breath away," Nicky says, stroking the side of Joe's neck and jaw, easing him down until Joe is draped across Nicky's lower half. Joe wraps his arms around Nicky's waist, pillowing his head on Nicky's stomach, a shiver wracking him as Nicky keeps talking.

"I have watched you use your words to bring peace and I am in awe. I used to wonder, when we were both new to each other, what use my words had. And then you asked me for this. Do you remember?"

"Ierapetra," Joe murmurs, gazing up at Nicky, eyes going soft, even as Nicky watches the red irritation fade. He's sinking into that space that Nicky knows Joe needs sometimes.

"Mm, Ierapetra was so wonderful. Feeding each other dates. The way you settled to your knees and stayed there for a whole day."

"I asked you to help me."

"And I did."

Joe breathes in shakily, pressing his forehead to Nicky's stomach, sliding down so he can press a line of kisses along Nicky's hip. Nicky smoothes back errant curls, tucking them behind Joe's ear, knowing he needs the grounding touch and Nicky's words.

"You are so beautiful, my love. You let me into your heart all those years ago and I have never been so grateful to the universe. You saw a man who was struggling with his world and you offered him a safe haven. I loved you then and I love you now," Nicky says, voice thickening with emotion as Joe lets out a quiet sob, a shudder wracking his body. Joe slips lower, settling between Nicky's legs as Nicky spreads them a little to let Joe get comfortable.

"Nico, please," Joe says, breath hitching as he rests his cheek on Nicky's thigh. Nicky cups his face gently, watching Joe slow his breathing and calm.

"I would give you the world," Nicky reminds him softly, reaching over for his phone from the nightstand. "But for now, I want you to keep me warm, my love."

Nicky feels the moment his words settle in Joe's mind, the way he closes his eyes, lashes damp as he opens his mouth, letting Nicky ease his cock inside. Hissing at the wet heat of Joe's mouth, Nicky exhales shakily, gently reaching down to trace Joe's lips around Nicky's cock, watching Joe's eyes flutter open.

"I remember Ierapetra and the first time we did this. How you were so good for me. You stayed on your knees for so long that I worried for them. You remember the signal that you need a break?" Nicky asks as Joe shifts, hand tapping Nicky's thigh three times, their own private Morse code.

"I am worried that I am not good enough for this," Nicky says, watching Joe's eyes widen. His cock is firming the longer it stays in Joe's mouth but Nicky pushes that aside, intent on meeting Joe's eyes and talking to him.

"You are the wordsmith, my love. I am but a poor imitation," Nicky says. His thumb traces the line of Joe's lower lip, trailing his fingers along Joe's jaw until he can thread his fingers into Joe's hair. He holds him there, anchoring him place and he feels the way that Joe submits to it, body sinking into Nicky's legs and the soft bed beneath them.

Joe sighs around Nicky's cock, a shiver working along Nicky's back as he gasps softly. His cock is harder now, Joe watching him as he tilts his head into Nicky's hand. Nicky spreads his hand across the span of Joe's skull, sighing softly.

"I would be a poor man's poor imitation a million times over if it is what you needed," Nicky says, letting his nails, short as they are, scratch Joe's scalp just to see the way it pebbles his flesh. Nicky hums softly.

"You deserve the world. And I know you would tell me that I am your world, but cuore mio, a thousand lifetimes with you is not enough. You make my life better and even during our darkest times, I relied on you as though you were my North star."

Nicky keeps eye contact, watching Joe's eyes fill with unshed tears. Nicky hums softly, remembering songs that only existed between them, letting Joe sink further and further into that space that allows him peace.

"Would you like me to read to you?" Nicky asks, "Just tap my leg one for yes and twice for no."

Joe exhales through his nose, tapping once as Nicky slowly reads the news to him. He comments to Joe as if they are having a conversation. His cock has softened now, resting in Joe's mouth as Nicky reads the news, opting away from the more grim options. They pass half an hour this way, Joe's fingers tracing small patterns on Nicky's hips and stomach.

Nicky settles back, picking his phone back up to scroll through the news stories, listening to Joe's slow breathing. His eyes are hooded, welcoming the sensation of Nicky's hand slipping back into his hair.

"We should look up some museums to take Nile to," Nicky says, idly, typing on his phone. He looks over the results, clicking in and out of the sites as he narrates his search to Joe. Nicky finds a poetry exhibit that Joe's eyes brighten at and Nicky bookmarks it, smiling.

"Look at how gorgeous you are, my love. I see love shining out of you and it takes my breath away," Nicky says, tracing the shape of Joe's brow and the slope of his nose. His fingertips linger on the corner of Joe's lips before he tangles his free hand with Joe's, going back to the news stories.

Nicky looks away from his phone, seeing the love shining from Joe's hazy eyes. "The way you love me is a new delight every single day. Sometimes I think I could never go on another mission, just spend the days drunk on your skin. But I know that we do good work. We are a better team than we ever were apart."

Joe swallows around Nicky, the sensation striking Nicky in his gut as he breathes in sharply. The soft light of the lamp wars with the harsh white light of Nicky's phone, his scrolling punctuated by words of praise for Joe that falls easily from his lips. Nicky slides his hand from Joe's all the way to his shoulder and to the back of Joe's neck before sliding his fingers back into Joe's hair.

"We should take Nile to Prague," Nicky says, clicking on the link, scrolling through the website as he scratches at Joe's scalp lightly. Nicky grins to himself, teasing, "The National Museum there is exhibiting some art that's older than us."

Nicky watches Joe's eyes crinkle in amusement, his tongue flexing along the underside of Nicky's cock. Gasping, Nicky arches his head back as he tugs on Joe's hair lightly. Nicky drops the phone, watching Joe intently.

"Am I not paying you enough attention?" Nicky asks, voice dropping as Joe's eyes flutter closed. He can feel the lighter mood lingering in the air, Joe's grief cleared by Nicky's touch and Nicky's voice and it takes Nicky's breath for a moment.

"Look at you," Nicky says softly, rocking his hips into Joe's mouth lightly, watching his eyes creep open. Joe gazes up at Nicky from under his lashes, knowing how much Nicky wishes he could draw to capture the way Joe looks in that moment.

"I know you don't want to think of London," Nicky says, feeling Joe tense. He hates to bring it up, but he knows he needs to tell Joe this. He tightens his fingers in Joe's hair, letting him know just where he is. Joe's eyes fill with pain and Nicky murmurs to him soothingly.

"I know you don't want to," Nicky repeats, "but I need you to listen to me. You were not too slow. And I woke up. We all woke up and I am here. If I go, you go. We made this promise hundreds of years ago and I don't intend to break it, my love."

Joe's breathing is heavy through his nostrils, the breath wafting over his thighs and the thatch of hair that Joe likes to bury his nose into when he takes Nicky as deep as he can manage. Nicky feels the tremble that's working it's way through Joe's body and Nicky breathes in hard. His own eyes have filled with tears as he releases Joe's hair, holding his cheek in one hand.

"Yusuf, I would suffer a hundred years of pain to prevent you from feeling like this. But I am here. For you and with you. My heart, my love. You are so good and the world would be darker without you. My world," Nicky stresses with tears spilling over as Joe's own lashes are soon soaked with the tears streaming down his face, "would be darker without you. This long life is a gift because you are the best part of it. My blessing is a life with you."

Joe taps Nicky's thigh three times, pulling off of Nicky's cock quickly. Nicky easily reaches down, urging Joe up to lay on the pillows with Nicky. Nicky wraps his arms around Joe, whispering to him of love in all the languages he has learned and more that the world has forgotten.

They cry together, something that Nicky once thought would have broken them. It feels restorative, grieving London like this. Nicky comforts Joe, rubbing his hands up and down his back, feeling him shake and slowly come back to himself.

The quiet of the room is marked only by the sounds of Joe's shuddering breaths slowing and becoming measured as Nicky holds him.

"The worst part is the helplessness I felt," Joe says, rolling onto his side to face Nicky. Nicky curls closer, resting his hand on Joe's chest to feel his heartbeat, Joe mirroring him.

"You are not lesser for that, my love. We both felt helpless for the other. But we are not helpless now. We can hold each other. We can remind each other that we're alive," Nicky says as Joe's face softens. Joe leans closer, pressing their foreheads together.

"You say you are not good with words but explain how your words make my heart sing," Joe says. Nicky laughs softly, wrapping his arms around Joe, rubbing their noses together.

"Because they are for you," Nicky says, kissing him softly. They lay there, kissing slowly and lazily, exploring each other's mouths as if it were the first time again. Nicky thinks back to a cooler desert night, the warmth of the fire at their side as he had crawled into Joe's lap, kissing him slowly because they had all the time in the world. Nicky presses his lips to the line of Joe's jaw, lips buzzing from his beard.

"I still want you," Joe says as Nicky hums against his earlobe. His tongue curls around his earlobe, listening for the hitch in Joe's breathing that always delights Nicky.

"What was it you told them in the van?"

"Which part?" Joe asks, voice hitching as Nicky grins against the skin of Joe's neck.

"About my touch," Nicky says into his ear, feeling Joe shiver. Nicky slides his hand down Joe's back, over the curve of his ass, hauling him closer to grind their cocks together.

"Ah," Joe says, laughing softly. When Nicky looks at him, his face has gone soft and loving, the way that Nicky is used to seeing. "Your touch still thrills me, even after a millennia."

Nicky grinds against him, fingertips drifting over Joe's hole, watching him gasp, arching into it. Nicky trails kisses over the line of his neck, nipping at his pulse.

"Tell me what you want," Nicky says into Joe's ear. His fingertips skate over Joe's hole, enjoying the hitch of his hips at the touch.

"Your mouth," Joe whispers, tilting his head back. Nicky hums encouragingly as he ruts their cocks together. The tip of his finger teases Joe, his squirming only serving to inflame Nicky more and more.

"Where do you want my mouth? Tell me, my love," Nicky murmurs as Joe gasps hard. Nicky plants small kisses over his open mouth, dipping his tongue in, eager to taste Joe in every way his love asks for.

"Do you want me to suck your cock? To eat you out? Or to tell you all the plans I have for when we go to Malta?" Nicky asks as Joe groans, his cock dragging along Nicky's as they both hiss.

"I could tell you all about how I love the way you ask for what you want. The way I love how your cock feels in my mouth. The way I love when you don't come until I tell you to. You're so good to me and for me, my love," Nicky croons. Joe arches into Nicky, a sob punching out of him.

"I want you in me," Joe gasps out as Nicky licks into his mouth, the kiss turning filthy as they grind against each other. Nicky moans into the kiss as he rolls back, away from Joe. Joe whines, reaching for him as Nicky laughs softly.

"Good, Joe. You're so good," Nicky whispers as Joe flops back onto the bed, a groan slipping out from clenched teeth. Nicky smacks his hand around the drawer beside the bed, digging for the half empty bottle of lube that they'd tossed in when they'd arrived.

"Do you still want me to make the decisions?"

"Please," Joe murmurs, eyes closing as Nicky hums. Joe opens his eyes, hand cupping Nicky's cheek. Nicky nips at the base of his palm affectionately, leaning over to kiss him softly.

Nicky urges Joe onto his stomach, planting kisses along the smooth planes of his back. He kisses the dimples just above Joe's ass, listening to his breathing speeding up slowly. Nicky presses his teeth against the flesh of Joe's ass, using his hands to spread him slowly.

"Please," Joe says again, voice gone thready with want as Nicky presses a slow, sucking kiss against his hole. Joe groans, the sound strangled as he shudders hard, hips grinding into the bed. Nicky teases him like this, tracing his tongue over the puckered skin before he dips his tongue inside.

Joe chokes on something that might be Nicky's name or a plea for more. Nicky listens to him as he fucks his tongue into Joe. He alternates between the flicker of his tongue and slow sucking kisses; the kind that have Joe groaning through gritted teeth.

Nicky pulls up, biting the skin of his ass as Joe moans.

"You are so good," Nicky says roughly, "Look at you, letting me do this for you. You asked for me to take care of you and you're so good for asking. Do you understand the place you hold in my heart?"

Joe stiffens, sobbing hard when Nicky stops talking. Nicky feels the tremors working their way under Joe's skin as he returns his mouth to Joe's hole. He holds him open, stiffening his tongue as Joe clenches around him, his soft gasps urging Nicky on as does the rocking of Joe's hips.

"Ya qamar, my love, please," Joe gasps, pushing back into Nicky's mouth. Nicky hums against him, drawing a shout. Joe shudders, hips fucking into the mattress and Nicky pushes his tongue in further, fucking Joe on it as he grabs for the lube.

Nicky pulls back, breathing hard as he smears some of the lube on his fingers over Joe's hole, easing one finger into Joe slowly. Joe groans, arching into it, his hands drifting up to grab the edge of the mattress, fists clenching.

"You ask so nicely," Nicky says, breathless with appreciation, curling his finger to feel Joe clench down on him. Joe's gasp hitches when Nicky adds a second finger. His hips grind into the mattress and Nicky loves watching the sheen of sweat gilded by the lamp nearby. It takes his breath and his voice, the beauty of the man who holds his heart.

"Please. Nico, my Nico, please," Joe asks, a whine slipping out at the end. He shudders with the movement of Nicky's fingers and Nicky manages to find his voice again.

"Good, Joe. You're so good, my love. Look at all the good Copley found. You saved people, more than we can remember. You are the best man I have ever known," Nicky says, listening to Joe's voice break on his moan. He sees the tense muscles of his shoulders and his neck as Joe arches back into it.

Nicky works a third finger into Joe, using more lube and listening for the way Joe lapses into half phrases and gasps. He listens to Joe's breathing, for the way it speeds up as he relentlessly taps against Joe's prostate. Joe's moans have become an endless drone, rising in pitch depending on how hard Nicky thrusts.

"My love, I want you to come whenever you want. You have been so good for me and to me, you have done so well. Come whenever you want, Yusuf," Nicky says as Joe sobs hard, body going tense and his ass clenching around Nicky's fingers as he comes and comes. Nicky watches Joe's face twist as he sobs hard, gasping for air, shudders wracking his body and the bed.

Nicky is breathing heart, his heart pounding and his own cock is hot and hard as Joe shudders and gasps back to himself. Nicky wipes his hand on one of their discarded shirts, watching as Joe sinks into the bed, shivers working its way through him as he comes back to himself.

Crawling up the bed, Nicky collapses beside Joe, resting their heads together as he watches the hazy pleasure and headspace take Joe over. His breathing is slow and easy, his eyes warm and Nicky will never tire of seeing Joe like this, given over to pleasure and love.

“My blessing is not this long life. My blessing is that I have found you, hayati,” Nicky whispers against Joe’s forehead in Zenize, one of the first languages they taught each other. Nicky presses a trail of kisses along Joe’s brow and cheeks, tasting the tang of sweat each time and remembering a hundred kisses before. 

Joe is slow to move, moments stretching between them as Nicky breathes in the scent of sweat and sex that permeates the room. He can feel the change in Joe's body, relaxed and when Nicky pulls him close, Joe hums happily.

"Nico, you are the best part of my long life," Joe says, eyes sliding open as he stretches. His legs tangle with Nicky's as they wrap around each other. Nicky kisses him softly and gently, holding onto him and feeling his own tears sting behind his eyelids.

They trade kisses back and forth, lazy and messy as Joe reaches down, curling his hand around Nicky's cock. Joe brings him off like that, slow and lazy, time stretching around them and Nicky thinks back to so many times before. He thinks of bedrolls pulled together and the embers that lit Joe's body the way this lamp has.

He comes with an exhale of Joe's name, shuddering against him as his come splatters over Joe's hand and stomach. Nicky gasps out his praise, switching between all the ways he knows how to tell Joe he loves him.

Sweat is cooling on his body when he opens his eyes, watching Joe lazing beside him, tracing gentle designs along Nicky's ribs. Nicky lets out a deep, contented sigh as Joe kisses him.

Their bodies are sticky and sweaty but with Joe's lips on his and the scent of them both redolent in the air, there's nowhere else that Nicky would rather be.

**Author's Note:**

> As you can tell, I am always taking prompts over on tumblr at [CactusDragon517](https://cactusdragon517.tumblr.com/). Feel free to come chat with me!!
> 
> If you like this, please give the [link to it a reblog](https://cactusdragon517.tumblr.com/post/630812777172369408/echoes-of-light-mayqueen517-the-old-guard)!!
> 
> Translations (If I have made an error, please KINDLY let me know):  
> Cuore mio - My heart  
> Destati - Wake up  
> Hayati - My Life  
> Ya qamar - My Moon


End file.
